The Westroads Mall shooting was a murder-suicide

Prior to the shooting

At first, Hawkins entered the Von Maur department store at about 1:36 p.m. CST (19:36 UTC). Almost immediately, he left, returning six minutes later through the same entrance, this time with a weapon concealed in a sweatshirt. He proceeded to the elevator, taking it to the top floor.[5]


Mall shooting victims[6]
1. Gary Scharf, age 48, customer.
2. John McDonald, age 65, customer.
3. Angie Shuster, age 36, employee.
4. Maggie Webb, age 24, employee.
5. Janet Jorgensen, age 66, employee.
6. Diane Trent, age 53, employee.
7. Gary Joy, age 56, employee.
8. Beverly Flynn, age 47, employee.

The shooting

At approximately 1:42 p.m. CST (19:42 UTC), Robert Hawkins stepped out of the elevator on the third floor and opened fire, mostly in three-round bursts, killing eight people and wounding three others—two critically—before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound near the customer service desk.[7][8][1] He fired more than 30 rounds, striking 11 people. Six died on the spot, one died before reaching the hospital, and another died 45 minutes after reaching the ER of another hospital.[1] The Omaha Police found a suicide note stating, "I'm gonna be fuckin famous."[9][10] According to an Omaha Police Department spokesperson, nine people, including the gunman, are confirmed dead.[11]

The injured

Three of the victims shot by Hawkins survived, with the two critically injured ones being store employees.[12] Fred Wilson, 61, was a manager for the customer service department. He was sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the upper chest. By the time he reached the ER, he had lost three-quarters of his blood and had no pulse.[13] Wilson has since been upgraded to stable, and has made some attempts to communicate. The other critically wounded was customer service employee Micheale "Mickey" Oldham, 65, who was sent to Creighton University Medical Center. She sustained heavy injuries to the abdomen and back, and of the surviving victims, her condition remains the most critical.[13][14] The third person directly wounded by Hawkins was customer Jeff Schaffart, 34, who was treated and released at UNMC for a gunshot wound to the left arm and the pinky finger of his left hand.

Other hospital visits

Two others, who were not shot by Hawkins, were sent to local hospitals, treated and released: customer Brad Stafford, 55, who hit his head on a clothing rack while bolting for a hiding place, and an unidentified individual who was treated for an unrelated medical condition.[15]

Dismissed coincidences

On the day of the shooting, a man dressed in camouflage and "hiding under a bus-stop bench outside the mall" was taken into custody by the police.[14] On Friday night of the week before the shooting, authorities removed a live grenade from the parking lot of the same mall.[16]
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Von Maur and Westroads Mall reaction

The Von Maur corporate headquarters in Davenport, Iowa issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by the horrific shooting at our Omaha store this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event, as well as their families."[7] A similar statement was shown on its web site's home page.[17] Westroads Mall also stated on its web site, "Our thoughts and prayers remain with all affected by this tragedy."[18] Its home page also indicated that the mall would remain closed until the following Saturday, December 8; however, the Von Maur, where the incident took place, will remain closed indefinitely.